Which gulf is shared by El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua?

The gulf shared by El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua is the Gulf of Fonseca. It is a Pacific Ocean gulf in Central America whose waters and coastline connect all three countries.

The gulf covers about 3,200 square kilometres and has a coastline of roughly 261 kilometres. Honduras has the longest share of that coastline, followed by Nicaragua and El Salvador. Its waters contain numerous volcanic islands, including El Tigre and Zacate Grande in Honduras.

Spanish explorer Gil González de Ávila reached the gulf in 1522 and named it for Archbishop Juan Fonseca, a powerful church official who had been an enemy of Christopher Columbus. The region later became strategically important because of proposals for canals, naval facilities, and regional shipping routes.

The Gulf of Fonseca has also been the subject of international disputes. In 1992, the International Court of Justice determined that El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua were to share control of the gulf, while assigning several islands to individual countries. That shared political status is why the gulf is especially associated with all three nations.